Button-card and independent lock-stitch therefor.



- A. L. CURRTER.

BUTTON CARD AND INDEPENDENT LOCK STITCH THEREFOR.

' APPLICATION- FILED OCT. 15, 1914.

1,260,519. Patented Mar. 26,1918.

TQE.

ARTHUR L. CURRIER, OF NEWTON HIGHLANDS, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THEJ'. W. MOORE MACHINE COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OFMASSACHUSETTS.

Specification. of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 26, 1918.

Application filed October 15, 1914. SerialNo. 866,783.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR L. Gunmen, a citizen of theUnited States, andresident of Newton Highlands, county of Middlesex, State ofMassachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Button-Cards andIndependent Lock-Stitches Therefor, of which the following description,in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, likeletters on the drawings representing like parts.

My present invention is a lock stitch made by employing a plurality ofloops and resulting in the formation of a locked stitch having threestrands of thread in holding engagement. novel double loop-stitchformation is particularly useful in attaching buttons to clothing, or tobutton cards, or the like, as each button is held by an individuallylocked stitch, and by means of a plurality of thread parts, eachcomprising a portion of the double loop-stitch. An important advantageof this feature, wherein a plurality of thread parts engage the button,is that the button is held firmly and squarely on the article to whichit may be attached, whereas a single thread part necessarily gives moreplay, or looseness in the attachment than is desirable. With threestrands of thread, however, engaging the button and with these threadparts all looked, a very strong, secure and satisfactory stitch is made.In the particular line of work of carding buttons, it is important, formany uses, that such buttons be attached by thread, instead of by wireas shown, for example, in my prior Patent 1,055,523. Prior to theinvention of my loop-stitch shown in copending application Serial No.824,907, filed March 16, 1914, it has been necessa to card buttons, whenthread was employs by hand, but this has of course been very slow,expensive and unsatisfactory. The present invention is especiallyvaluable in carding buttons with thread and by means of my novelmachine, wherein a single continuous line of thread is employed, and thedouble loop stitches of the present invention are made therefrom. Afurther feature of the present double loop-stitch is that it may beformed successively in lines of indefinite length, and at the completionof each stitch the thread severed, leaving both ends of each stitchlocked in the double loops of said stitch. This is especiallyadvantageous in attaching buttons, as any number of successive buttonsmay be secured, each individual button. being independently attachedwith both ends of the attaching thread locked. Furthermore in buttoncarding, it is often desirable to remove a single button in order toreplace it by another which will match better in color and shade withthe rest of the buttons on the card, and my present stitch enables suchremoval and replacement to be made without disturbing the other buttonsor their attaching stitches. And, while one button may thus be severed,all the buttons may also be severed by one sweep of the knife whendesired, or an entire row may be out off. In the drawings I haveillustrated the stitch as applied to a button card,

Figure 1 being a view of a card with a plurality of buttons attachedthereto by means of my novel double loop stitch;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view showing a button and the adjacent part of thecard in cross section with the threads forming the double loop-stitchloosely shown for the sake of a clear disclosure;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 with the threads drawn tight; and

Fig. 4. is an enlarged view of the under side of the button card showingboth ends of the thread locked in the double loops respectively engagingthe same.

Buttons are usually carded in groups of a dozen, being attached insuccessive rows, the

card 1 herein illustrated having a series of rows of buttons 2, eachattached by my double loop-stitch passing through opposite eyes 3 and 4in each button. The double loop-stitch is made from a single thread onmy carding machine illustrated in copending application Serial No.72,054 filed Jan. 14, 1916, and is made quickly and automatically. Thecompleted stitch comprises the double loops 5 and 6 passing through thebutton eyes 3 and 4 respectively, the loop 6 catching and binding asingle part 7 of the thread which is passed through the opposite eye 3and the loop 5 encircling and catching the free end 8 of the threadwhich is passed through the eye 4, the completed stitch comprising thefree end portions 7 and 8 and the intermediate connecting loop portion9. All three parts 7 8, and 9 engage the button and pass through theeyes 3 and 4;,

constituting three thicknesses or parts of the thread to hold the buttonon the card 1. In forming this double loop-stitch from a single thread,the free end 7 is passed clownwardly through the eye 3 and caught whilethe needle is withdrawn and moved (or the button and card are moved) tonext go through the eye l, leaving a loop of thread 6 caught on theunder side of the card 1, the needle then being withdrawn and againmoved downwardly through the eye 3 where the loop 5 is formed and caughtpreferably by automatic mechanism as explained in my said machineapplication. The needle is once more moved through the eye at where thethread is cut as the needle is withdrawn, leaving the free end 8, thethread being at all times carried while through the eye of the needle.The loop ends 7 and 8 of the thread are drawn through the loops 6 and 5respectively, 2'. 0., the loops extending through the eyes opposite tothe eyes through which the free ends respectively pass, and the entirestitch is drawn tight, locking both the loops 5 and (3 and the free ends7 and 8. ll prefer to draw the first free end 7 through the loop (3 assoon as that loop is formed, and while the needle is in the operation offorming the second loop 5, thus drawing the end 7 and loop 6 into lockedor knotted engagement before the completion of the stitch. i alsoprovide mechanism to hold the loop 5 and receive the final end of thethread, drawing the same through said loop as the final operation informing the stitch. This process of formation of my double loopstitch isnot herein claimed specifically, nor is the mechanism which forms it,the presand claiming the ent application describing completed seam ofdouble loop-stitches. This stitch may be employed to hold any two ormore articles together, or to attach buttons, or for other purposes, aswill readily occur to those skilled in the art. I believe that a doubleloop-stitch having each free end locked by one of the loops of thestitch, and also having a plurality of three or more thread partsuniting two articles together securing the stitch incident to suchmultiplicity of parts, to be distinct novelties in this art, and Itherefore wish to claim the same broadly. Fin'thermore, the use of sucha scam in the art of button cardingto which the invention primarilydirected-is of distinct commercial advantage. One advantage is that instripping buttons from a card it is desirable not to leave any loosethread ends or dangling buttons, and the present invention accomplishesthis by having each button secured separately from the rest and eachstitch firm and complete in itself, not dependent for its firmness uponEnrica at this patent may be obtained for any other stitch, as all thestitches are entirely separate and unconnected, so far as their holdingpower is concerned, While nevertheless a row of stitches can be made bya continuous thread.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent is:

l. A seam for sewed articles, comprising a plurality of articles securedtogether by a double loop stitch having a plurality of looped threadportions passing through the articles to be united, at least threethread parts being in engagement with the articles about which the loopis made, and each loop being locked by an end portion of the threadpassing therethrough.

2. A seam for sewed articles, comprising a plurality of articles securedtogether by successive independent stitches, each stitch comprising twothread loops spaced apart, each loop being adjacent an end portion ofthe thread forming said stitch, and with said end portions being lockedunder its adjacent thread loop.

3. A button card, comprising a card of sheet material, a plurality ofbuttons secured on one side thereof by a corresponding plurality ofindependent stitches passing through the buttons and the card, eachstitch comprising a plurality of looped thread por tions formed to lockits button firmly onto the card and irrespective of aid from thestitches or thread of adjacent button-holding means.

4. A button card, comprising a card of sheet material, a plurality ofbuttons secured on one side thereof by a seam consisting in successivestitches, each stitch having a plurality of looped thread portionspassing through both card and button, the loops of each stitch beingspaced apart and with each of the ends of the thread of each stitchbeing locked by a loop of said stitch.

5. A button card, comprising a card of sheet material, a complement ofbuttons, each button having a plurality of perform tions and beingsecured to one side of the card by stitching passing through at leasttwo of the button perforations, each stitch being formed of a pluralityof thread loops and engaging said button by a plurality of thread parts,said stitch being inde aendent in its button-holding action from otherdevices or adjacent stitches on the card.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses. 1

ARTHUR L. CURRIER. l/Vitnesses JAMES R. Honour, R. G. HERSEY.

Washington, D. (l.'

